Many Canadian fashionbusinesses haveoutsourcedthemanufacturing andproductionof clothing goods. Nowadays, Canada imports ready-made garments (RMG)primarilyfrom countries such as China and Bangladesh.Due to the free trade agreement (CETA) that Canada recently concluded with the European Union, there has been an increase in well-known fashion brands and ready-made garmentsshipped to Canada from Europe. An edited version of theEU Packaging and Transportationguidelines for shipments of ready-made garments

Risk factors and loss prevention:

Temperature

Odor

Humidity/Moisture

Contamination

Ventilation

Shrinkage/Shortage/Theft

Self-heating/Combustion

Insect infestation/Diseases

Packaging:When transported by truck, outer clothing is often carried as hanging garments, while other clothing items are generally transported in folding cartons and primarily containerized. Hanging garments must be inserted into tight-fitting individual dust covers, sealed at the bottom. When outer clothing is shipped in folding cartons, it is essential,in particular forhigher quality goods, for the folding cartons to be lined with tissue paper or the like, the individual items to be secured and interlayers used. The cartons often consist of wet strength corrugated board.

Container transport:Standard containersare suitable for transporting ready-made garments, subject to compliance with limits for water content of goods,packagingand flooring.Garment containersare best suited to transporting items of clothing, as they provide maximum protection against creasing,dustand dirt. Garment containers have bars for hanging up items of clothing on coat-hangers. The bars are generally anchored in perforated rails in the walls. The coat-hangers are secured by special clips. A horizontally openable curtain is located between the doorand the inside. The wooden floor is impregnated and lined with floor covering (carpet).

Cargo handling:In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected frommoisture, sincegarments are strongly hygroscopic and readily absorb moisture.For long-distance road transport, trucks with air suspension should generally be used.

Stowagespace requirements and numericalfactors:The holds/containers must be dry and clean. The stowage space must be away from heat sources.In particular, holdsmust be free of oily patches.

2.30 - 9.47 m/t (cartons) [1]

1.08 - 6.06 m/t (boxes) [1]

Segregation:Marker pen/oil crayon, slip or label bearing product data and/or bar code.

Cargo securing:The cargo must be stowed in such a way that the boxes or cartons do not slip and become damaged during transport.Where garments are shipped hanging, the shipping container must be carefully inspected for cleanness,leakproofnessand the ability to secure individual coat-hangers firmly. The coat-hangers must be secured on the bars with retaining clips.

Risk factors and loss prevention

Light:Extended exposure to light puts natural and manmade fibers at risk due to photomechanical degradation processes; natural silk, jute and ramie are particularly sensitive.

Temperature:Ready-made garments requireparticular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions.Favorable traveltemperature range: 10 - 30C withOptimum travel temperature: 20C...Ready-made garments are best stored at 20C 5C. Transient temperature variations within the range of 10 - 30C do not impair quality.Excessively low temperatures result in loss of strengthof textile fibres.Excessively high temperatures result from solar radiation, for example, or from stowage too close to heat sourcesand not only lead to an increase in the risk from pests and microorganisms,but also have a significant impact on the physical characteristics of the fibers, which may no longer comply with tolerance limitswith regard tostrength, elongation, shrinkage, crease tendency, electrical conductivity and brittleness. Synthetic materials may even develop permanent creases.

Humidity/Moisture:Ready-made garments requireparticular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions.

Designation

Humidity/water content

Relative humidity

45 - 70%

Water content

8 - 12% (woolen fabric)

7.85 - 8.50% (cotton fabric)

Maximum equilibrium moisture content

70%

A relative humidity of 45 - 70% is deemed optimal. Specified humidity levels can be maintained in airtight packaging by using desiccants. Excessively high humidity levels and seawater, rain and condensation water may cause mustiness, mildew stains and mold growth and increase levels of insect infestation. Rust stains may ariseas a result ofthe corrosion of metal strapping. Natural fibers converted into woven fabrics have a high swelling index, caused by their histological microstructure. Thus, for instance, modified cotton may absorb up to 25% of its own weight of water without feeling damp. This has a significant effect on the physical characteristics of the fibers, such as strength, elongation, creasing tendency and electrical conductivity.If contact with chloride solutions,e.g.seawater, is suspected, a seawater test using thesilver nitrate methodmust be performed.

Ventilation:Ready-made garments requireparticular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions.Recommended ventilation conditions: air exchange rate: 6 changes/hour (airing), ifthe dew point of the external air is lower than the dew point of the hold air.

Self-heating/Spontaneous combustion:The goods are liable to catch fire due to the structure of the processed natural and manmade fibers and the surface treatment or finishing which they have undergone. Smoking must therefore be strictly prohibited during loading/unloading of the holds/containers. CO2should preferably be used to extinguish fires.

Odour:

Active behavior

Ready-made garments may release a slightly unpleasant odor. Since they are generally treated with impregnating and finishing agents, they should as a precautionnot bestowed together with odor-sensitive goods. Odor tainting may also be caused by insecticides (risk of moth infestation).

In the case of workwear, an unpleasant odor may be caused by certain finishing substances used to improve wearability or to provide resistance to rotting, mold and pests.

Passive behavior

Ready-made garments are highly sensitive to foreign odors. The modified fabric surface and high pore volume allow unpleasant odors to be very readily absorbed, which may indirectly result in depreciation.

Contamination

Active behavior

Ready-made garments are a very clean cargo.

Passive behavior

Dust, colorants, ores, dirt,rustor leakages of accompanying cargo (acids, molasses, glue, fats/oils, lubricants etc.) may contaminate the cartons or the goods themselves and lead to a reduction in utility value.

Garment containers and special truck bodies must be leakproof and possibly lined with carpet, to stop dust, dirt and other foreign bodies from penetrating or being swirled up, as, despite the protective covers on the garments, even the smallest foreign bodies may trigger pilling of the surface of the fabric.

Mechanical influences:Garments are sensitive tomechanical stresses. Excessively thin plastic covers may tear if stowed too tightly and form chafing points, which cause undesirable pilling or snagging of the surface of the fabric. This impairs the appearance of the surface (depreciation). The coat-hangers must therefore be properly secured (clips) and the items of clothing adequately wrapped to protect them from rubbing together/chafing.

Shrinkage/Shortage/Theft:Ready-made garments are very valuable and are therefore at acute risk of theft. Containers should be stowed such that the doors of adjacent containers face towards each other. The use of special seals is recommended.

RF Insect infestation/Diseases:The goods themselves are seldom subject to insect infestation. However, when damp they very rapidly succumb to attack by mold and rot-causing bacteria, especially in conjunction with any finishes which may have been applied. Mildew stains of a gray-green or brown-black color develop and produce a musty odor. The risk of insect infestation is lower for clothing made from polyester fibers than for clothing made from natural fibers.

The holds/containers must be pest-free, since many insects which are normally typical pests of foodstuffs and animal feed may also damage textiles, especially if they seek out these materials for metamorphosis. In their search for breeding grounds or pupation sites, they penetrate boxes and cartons and even bite through metal foils and plastic films and may thereby cause considerable destruction. For instance, a consignment of pullovers from East Asia displayed eating damage caused by red-legged ham beetles, which had hatched out of a consignment of copra transported in the same hold and multiplied considerably in number. In their search for new breeding grounds, the beetles had got into wooden boxes and thence through metal foils, cartons and finally through plastic bags into the woolen goods. As this environment did not appeal to them, they tried to chew their way back out and, in so doing, caused considerable destruction to the pullovers. Larvae from the yellow mealwormalso migrated during transport from an accompanying cargo of flour and rolled oats into a consignment of pullovers, for pupation.Therefore, do not stow in a hold/container together with foodstuffs and animal feed or hides/furs.

Identifyand state the relativemerits of each ofthe four (4) modes of transportationthatMAYbeused bylululemon athletica'ssuppliersandRANKthe modes of transportation for (A)cost of transportation,and(B)delivery timefortransportation.

7.Environmental and sustainability concerns arean increasinglyimportantconsideration forbrandsin theselectionofthemodeof transportationto use for shipments of clothing goods.Researchor usethe best of your knowledgetofill in the following blanks:[1mark]

Foracompanytoreduceits carbon footprintit mustshiftfrom themost carbon-intensivemodes of transportation such as __________________ and _____________________ intolesscarbon-intensivemodes such as _____________________ and _________________________.

8.Briefly describeeachofthe four (4) factors thatwould most commonly beused to determine aclothingproduct's freight classification.

9.Using information from the EU TransportationGuidelines,describethe best practices fortransportationof clothing productsand ready-made garments from Paristo Torontousing aContainer (by wateror train) and/or as aCargotransport(by roador air).

10.Using information from the EU TransportationGuidelinescombined with yourresearch andunderstandingof the property agents ofseveral types offabricsandtextiles,describethe issues andyourconcernsifyou learned that yourincomingshipment encounteredthe followingsituations:

(A)silk garmentswere left unprotected forseveralveryhotand sunnysummerdays in a New Dehli, India port;

(B)the effect ofanextremelydryweek withlow relative humidity onatextilesshipment;

(C)acontainer shipmentcomprisedofwoolsweatersexperienced extremely high relative humidity during transportation fromAmsterdam to Montreal; and

(D)acontainer shipmentcomprisedoftightly-packedcottonshirtswas found to have anabnormally high number ofinsects called silverfish upon its arrival in Toronto fromAthens.